“How…” Franco stared at Victoria, stunned. Then, the realization hit him. He let out a ragged sigh. “Robin and Dan. You bought them. That’s how you knew I was awake, and why they’re standing outside letting you eavesdrop on our conversation.”
Victoria sneered, offering no denial. She turned her cold gaze toward Trevor and Spion. “And who are these two?”
“I hired them,” Franco coughed. “What do you want, Victoria? Careful what you do, they can be witnesses if you’re planning to kill me.”
“Don’t flatter yourself with self-pity. We have a much more dangerous situation on our hands,” she snapped. She looked the detectives up and down. “Did they sign NDAs? Can they be trusted?”
“They signed,” Franco rasped.
“We are working with Mr. Franco to identify the assassin,” Trevor added, keeping his voice steady.
Victoria studied them for a moment. “So you’re the detective team. We were supposed to meet tomorrow.” She turned back to Franco, her voice dropping an octave. “Have you checked Gossip News? Your lovely little girlfriend is blackmailing me. She’s the one who wants you dead.”
“What? Impossible.” Franco fumbled for his tablet, pulling up the feed. He found the post Victoria was referring to—the scandalous photo of her at the club. “Why blame her? Anyone could have taken that photo and sold it to the press if you can’t control yourself.” He gave a disdainful smile, as if she were a fool.
“Look closer, Connor,” she hissed. “I wasn’t in the city then. I only got here two hours before the wedding began. That photo was taken three years ago. And do you remember who took it?”
Franco squinted at the screen. His eyes widened. “I took it… but how did she get this? I keep those files in a high-security vault.”
“She found them. She found all of your ‘insurance’ files. Yesterday, she called me and laid out her terms: if you die, I must agree to let her keep a massive share of your properties, or she will release everything. I didn’t believe she had them, so she sent that to Gossip News as a warning shot.” Victoria stared at him, her eyes like ice.
“How could she even know those files existed? I never told her. She never asked about my business,” Franco muttered, his fury rising. He began to cough violently. Jimmy rushed forward with the tea, but Franco shoved his hand away.
“Ask him!” Victoria pointed a finger at Jimmy. She reached into her bag and threw a dozen glossy photos onto the hospital bed.
Trevor and Spion couldn’t help but lean in. The photos were damning. They showed Jimmy and Isabel in various states of undress—hugging, kissing, and caught in intimate acts in every corner of Franco’s own mansion.
Jimmy looked like he wanted the floor to swallow him whole. “Mr. Franco… she… she seduced me…” His face was a deep crimson, his voice cracking.
“Quiet!” Franco screamed, followed by a wet cough. Jimmy tried to offer the tea again, but Franco swung his arm, knocking the teacup across the room. It shattered against the wall. The noise brought Robin and Dan bursting through the door.
“Out!” Franco bellowed at the guards. They scrambled back into the hallway. He turned his trembling rage back to Jimmy. “I trusted you. I asked you to guard those files with your life. You betrayed me for a girl? Did you think I was already dead?”
“Mr. Franco, I thought you loved her!” Jimmy pleaded. “She told me she felt unsafe, that if something happened to you, she’d be left with nothing. I thought… I thought helping her was the only way to protect the person you loved.”
“Love her? Don’t be ridiculous!” Franco snarled. “You’ve been by my side for years, Jimmy. You’ve seen the parade of women, girls, and boys I’ve cycled through. Which of them did I ever truly love? None. Don’t stand there and lie to me!”
In a fit of rage, Franco grabbed his tablet and hurled it at Jimmy’s head. Jimmy ducked just in time, and the device shattered against the wall with a sharp crack.
Trevor and Spion exchanged a wary glance. The level of drama in the Franco household was beyond anything they had anticipated. They decided, stayed silent, better to keep watch than to step into the line of fire.
“Don’t be hysterical,” Victoria said, stepping forward until she was looming over Franco’s bed. “We need to focus on what comes next. Your silly Isabel has no idea how radioactive those files are. If she’s stupid enough to try and blackmail everyone in those files, she’ll be offending people far more powerful than us, those lords, princes, high-ranking officials. If those people feel threatened, they won’t just kill her; they’ll unite to destroy us and everything we’ve built.”
Franco looked up at Victoria, his anger replaced by cold calculation. “What do we do with her?”
“Kill her,” Victoria said without a second of hesitation. She pointed at Jimmy. “Let him do it.”
“Jimmy,” Franco ordered, his voice low and deadly. “If you want to earn back my trust, if you want to live, kill her. Now.”
“And do it quietly,” Victoria added. “We cannot risk her uploading those files before she dies.”
Trapped, Jimmy nodded slowly. “Yes, Mr. Franco. I’ll do it.”
“If you fail, I’ll send Robin and Dan to hunt you both down,” Franco added.
As Jimmy turned to leave, Trevor realized he couldn’t let a murder happen on his watch. “Mr. Franco, wait. We have to consider that an assassin might still be hunting you. It’s clear your security detail has been compromised, and news of your recovery has likely already leaked. You can’t afford to be vulnerable right now. You need Jimmy here.”
Franco’s eyes lit up. “You’re right.” He turned a suspicious glare toward Victoria. “I almost fell for it. You wanted me to send Jimmy away so you could have Robin and Dan finish me off, didn’t you?”
“Oh crap!” Victoria groaned, rolling her eyes. She stared at Trevor for a long, unreadable moment. Trevor avoided her gaze, pretending to study the heart monitor.
“Well,” Franco said with a smug, triumphant smile. “Jimmy, stay here. Call the rest of the security detail to the hospital. And tell Isabel, tell Fiona, tell the world! I want everyone to know I’m back from the dead. I’ll wait right here in this bed to see who is brave enough to try again.”
“You’re helpless, Connor,” Victoria spat. She turned on her heel and slammed the door as she stormed out.
Trevor felt the tension in the room drop slightly, but he wasn’t relieved. “Mr. Franco, are you sure about this? If you pull all your security here, your house is wide open. Victoria or someone else could kill Isabel and take those files right now.”
Franco went pale. “Robin! Dan! Get in here!” he shouted.
Silence.
Jimmy walked to the door and pulled it open. The hallway was empty.
“Dammit! She took them with her,” Franco yelled. “Jimmy, call the police! Tell them to protect the mansion. And give me my tablet. I need to tell Isabel to lock herself in!”
“Mr. Franco,” Jimmy said with a bitter, hollow smile. “Your tablet is in pieces. I’ll have to call her myself.”